Car-coupler-positioning device



Oct. 11, 1927.

A. E. SMALL CAR COUPLER POSITIONING DEVICE Filed Jan. 14. 1927 LUBHZOI" r Q ilorney Patented Get. 11, 1927.

unrrso stares 1,645,205 PATENT OFFECEQ ARTHUR EVSMALL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR {1 0 UNION METAL PRODUCTS CQMPANY, OF CHICAGG, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELA'W'ARE;

CAR-COUPLER-POSITIONING DEVICE.

Application filed January 14, 1927. Serial No. 161,100

This device relates to means for automatically positioning the coupler ot a railway car by gravity.

Two railway cars are automatically coupled together by the movement of their respective couplers forcing the tails of the pivoted rnuckles behind gravity locks. The couplers are mounted in the cars so as to permit a limited amount of lateral movement. Such limitation is necessary and essential because if the couplers were allowed to move too far to either side, the couplers or" the two cars being coupled would pass each other and not couple, thereby defeating the object of th automatic coupler. The greater the lateral movement of a coupler the less side pressure on the striking casting when the cars are going around curves. This lateral pressure forces the wheel flanges against the rail causing considerable friction and wearing of the rails and wheels.

One of the objects of the invention is to increase the amount of permissible lateral movement or" a coupler by providing automatic means for returning the couplers to the longitudinal center of the car or at least close enough thereto so that the automatic couplers will couple. This is what is termed the coupling range.

It is very often necessary to couple cars on curves and frequently when the. radius of the curve is very small. as is common around industrial plants, the couplers of the two cars will be so far out of alignment that they will not automatically couple. Another object of the invention is to automatically bring such couplers within coupling range. The outside rail of a curved track is raised above the inside rail and I provide means whereby the coupler is moved toward the inside of the curve by gravity. This automatic gravity means also returns the coupler to the longitudinal center of the car when the car moves fromthe curved to the straight part of the track.

In my device the lateral movement between the coupler and the carrier is eliminated, thus reducing friction and consequent wear on the parts. This is quite an item particularly in sandy countries because couplers are costly and the replacement of a coupler means keeping the car out of service.

Coupler positioning devices reduce the number of broken knuckles and guard arms on couplers which members are frequently bent or broken when the couplers are not within coupling range. Such devices also reduce the number of accidents to trainmen as they are not required to go between the cars and position the coupler preparatory to couplin A common form of car coupler positioning device comprises a coupler carrier swingably suspended by links from some part of the car so that the objects and advantages mentioned above are obtained and my inven- 'tion is an improvement upon such devices and consists in providing a shiftable bearing construction to increase the eccentricity of the weight of the coupler (and its associated parts) about its point of support, thus in creasing the resultant forces tending to return the coupler to the longitudinal center of the car (or away therefrom when the car is tipped.) I accomplish this result without necessarily increasing the vertical rise of the coupler. This is important because the A. R. A. standard dimensions only permit ,4 vertical rise otthe coupler.

' In my device the coupler carrier is swingably suspended from any convenient part of the car by a link at each of its ends and is provided with means such as lugs. to prevent lateral movement of the coupler relative thereto. These links have a pivot which entirely supports the carrier through a predetermined amount of swinging movement of the links and also when the coupler is in its normal central position. At least one of these links has a portion which has unrestricted movement or action during such.

predetermined movement. but which engages the car part (or carrier it at the lower end) upon any additional swinging movement in one direction, and causes its pivot to move away from its bearing so that the load on this link is shifted entirely to the said portion. The link may be provided with spaced apart portions on the opposite sides o1 the link so that a similar action takes place when the carrier moves in the opposite direction, or oppositely projecting portions may be used on the separate links to accomplish the same purpose. In practice the predetermined movement of the link would permit the carrier and coupler to move laterally during ordinary running motions of the car.

The shiftable bearing'construction may be used on one or both ends of one or both links. It may be used to function on one link when the carrier moves in one direction, and upon the other link when the carrier moves in The foregoingdescription forms a part of my co-pending application No. 116,406, filed June 16, 1.926, on car coupler positioning device, and the objectof this invention is to improve the structure described therein by eliminatingany twisting or torsional. movement of the coupler by maintaining: the coupler carrier in a horizontal position upon its swinging. movement in either .direction.

In the drawings:

F g. 1 shows a typlcaluapplication of my device.

Fig. 2. 1s a side. elevation of Fig. 1.

F 1g. 3 IS a perspective View of one of the links.

F ig. l is a perspective view of the carrier- Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the relation of the parts when the coupler and carrier are moved to one side.

, Fig.6 shows a modified form wherein the links are inclined in. the opposite direction to that shown in Fig. 1..

Fig. 7 shows my invention applied at the upper ends of the links.

The coupler 1 rests upon the carrier 2. between the projections 3. The carrier is suspended to the striking casting; 1, or any other convenient car part, by swingablelinks 5 so that when the coupler moves to one side of the car it is returned'to its normal position by gravity- In the form illustrated,

theupper ends these links 5 are provided with trunnions 6-6 which engage pockets 7-? in. the striker and the lower 7 ends of the links are provided with similar trunnions 8-8, which engage pockets 9-9.

in the carrier, thus forming pivotal connections between the opposite ends of the links and the car part and carrier, respectively.

The pivotal connections (6-6) of the links to the. car part are. spaced further apart than the pivotal connections (8-8) of the links to the carrier 2 which increases the force of gravity tending to return the carrier and the coupler tothe normal central position. hen the links, however, are thus placed in oblique positions the carrier 2 also assumes an oblique position upon movement sidewise of the car because upon such an action the lowerend of one link is the trunnions.

lowered and the lower end of the other link is raised. Such an action puts a torsion or twist on the coupler which afiects its relation to the adjacent coupler and also the relation to its attachment to the draft gear.

My co-pending application No. 116,406, referred .to, covers an improvement on a swingingly suspended carrier wherein the swinging links are provided with spaced apart portions which, upon movement of the carrier, engage portions of the carrier and entirely support it through any swinging movement greater than a predetermined amount, and the object of this invention is to improve such a device by suspending thev links obliquely and maintaining the carrier in horizontal position by varying the distances between the spaced apart portions and the carrier (or other car part).

In the form illustrated, the distance 10 between the carrier 2. and the projection 11 is greater than thedistance 12 between the carrier .2 and the projection 13,. whereby as the couplermoves to the right, as shown in F '5, the projection13: in the right hand link supports the carrier at 1a and the proj ection 11 in the left hand link supports the carrier at 19,. thus raising the carrier in a horizontal position. Note that the trunnions 8 are free of their pockets 9.. Lines 15 and 16 show the difference in the movements.

of the links- Each link 5 comprises a shank 20 with a pair of oppositely disposed trunnions (6-6 and 8-8) at each end which form the pivotal connections to the car parts and a pair of oppositely disposed projections (11-13) at one end which extend normal. to The angular relation 21 of one of the projections (11.) to the shank being greater than the. angular (22) relation of the other projection (13) to the shank. 1

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the links are positioned with the pivot points 6-6 on the car part closer together than the pivot points 8-8 on the carrier which would require a slight modification on. the spaces 10 and 12, otherwise, the action would be the same as described.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the spaced apart portions 17-18 are shown at the upper ends of the links 5 but the relation of the upper ends of the links and the car part 1 would be substantially the same as the relation of the lower end of the links to the carrier, as shown in Fig. 5. My invention may be used at either or both endsof the links. e

I claim:

1. In a car coupler positioning device a.

pivotal. connections to the carrier, the lower end of each link provided with oppositely disposed projections which engage portions of the carrier and entirely support the carrier after a predetermined amount of swinging movement of the carrier, the free movement of the projections toward the middle of the carrier being greater than the free movement of the projections toward the ends of the carrier whereby the carrier is maintained in a horizontal position through any swinging movement greater than said predetermined movement.

2. In a car coupler positioning device a carrier element swingably suspended to a car part element by oppositely inclined links, one end of each link provided with oppositely disposed projections which engage portions of the adjacent element and entirely support the carrier after a predetermined amount of swinging movement of the carrier, the normal clearances between the projections and the adjacent elements being different whereby the carrier is maintained in a horizontal position through any swinging movement greater than said predetermined movement.

3. In a car coupler positioning device, a

carrier, swingably suspended to a car part by oppositely inclined links having a trunnion at each end Which engage the respective car parts through a predetermined movement of the carrier, one end of each link provided with oppositely disposed projections extending normal to said trunnions which engage portions of the adjacent. element' and entirely support the carrier after such predetermined movement, the angular relation of one of the projections to the body of the link being greater than the angular relation of the other projection to the body of the link.

4. A link for a car coupler positioning device comprising a shank with a pair of oppositely disposed trunnions at each end, and

a pair of oppositely disposed projections at one end of the link which extend normal to the trunnions, the angular relation of one of the projections to the shank being greater than the angular relation of the other projection to the shank.

ARTHUR E. SMALL. 

